


The Underground Man

by Ruuger



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Female Friendship, Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-14
Updated: 2013-12-14
Packaged: 2018-01-04 15:47:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1082845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruuger/pseuds/Ruuger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>PROMPT: Dakota Whitney. Gen, pre-IWTB, the underground man. To clarify, I've always wondered how Agent Whitney found out about the X-files, how she found out about Mulder.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Underground Man

Dakota made her way deeper into the cubicle labyrinth of the FBI accounting department, feeling more frustrated at every turn. She glanced at the slip of paper that she was holding, and then looked around. She'd been given the room and desk number of a clerk who was supposed to be able to help her, except that the numbers on the paper in no way corresponded with the numbers on the cubicles.

When she turned around another corner to find herself face to face with a blonde woman behind a desk, she decided to just try her luck.

"Hi, I had some problems with my expense report, and I was told someone here could help me?"

The woman looked up from her computer screen and smiled. "Sure, what's the problem?"

"It bounced back from accounting, and I'm not sure why?"

She felt a little embarrassed as she handed over a copy of her expense report. It had been her first off-state case, and botching up an expense report seemed like such a stupid rookie mistake. Part of her wanted to just forget the whole thing and pay for the motel and food out her own pocket, but the more sensible part of her knew that wasn't really an option. It wasn't a lot of money, but after her student loan payment it would make a difference between eating at the cafeteria and having nothing but ramen for lunch until her next paycheck.

The woman behind the desk - Leila Harrison, according to the name plate in front of her - frowned as she skimmed through the papers, and then looked up, her face again morphing into a brilliant smile.

"Oh, you just used the old version of the form. They were all supposed to be recalled ages ago, but somehow they just keep popping up." She swiveled around on her chair and grabbed a form from the shelf behind her. "Here. Just copy everything to this one. I can process it myself, and you should have everything reimbursed by the end of the week."

"Thanks."

She quickly filled in the form, and then handed over to Leila. As she watched the other woman carefully remove the staples from the receipts so that she could reattach them to the new form, Dakota couldn't help wondering if redoing an expense report was the most action that Leila was going to see all week. She tried to imagine herself in Leila's place and shuddered. She could never get used to a desk job. 

When Leila turned to her computer for a moment, Dakota had a look around the place. It was just an average cubicle in an average cubicle farm, decorated with a slowly dying jade plant and yellowed Dilbert strips. The one thing that seemed out of place was the slightly torn poster of a UFO behind Leila.

"I want to believe," she read out loud.

Leila looked up from her monitor. "What?"

Dakota pointed at the wall. "Cool poster."

"Oh. Thanks. Agent Doggett gave it to me. It used to be in the X-Files office before they closed it down."

Dakota stared at her. "That really existed? I thought the basement office was just something the teachers at Quantico had made up to scare the rookies. Don't tell me that Spooky Mulder is a real person."

"Oh no, he's real. I worked a case with him once. I mean, I was working with Agent Doggett, but then were were trapped underground with the lizard man, and Mulder came to look for us, and-" 

Dakota couldn't help interrupting her. "Lizard man?"

Leila gave her a sheepish smile. "It's a long story," she said, and turned back to her computer. 

"It's all done now," she said when she was finished, still looking a little embarrassed. "Anything else I can help you with?" 

Dakota shook her head. "No, I'm good. Thanks for helping me out, you're a lifesaver."

She turned to leave but then paused. She'd meant to meet her boyfriend for lunch, but she couldn't help thinking about the excited tone in Leila's voice when she'd been talking about the X-Files. 

She made up her mind and turned back to Leila. "Would you like to go get lunch together? I'd love to hear about the lizard man."


End file.
